Cross-border cooperation in the EU: Euroregions amid multilevel governance and re-territorialization

Abstract

Today, cross-border cooperation promoted by Euroregions all over the European Union is a consolidating reality. The article focuses on Euroregions as formal organizations in the field of cross-border cooperation. By using a data set of 61 Euroregions considered to be particularly active, the study investigates the characteristics of cross-border cooperation agreements. For each Euroregion, cross-country comparisons take into account the following essential parameters: the number of actors involved in the agreement, their administrative and political nature, as well as the official goals pursued. From a descriptive perspective, the study aims to provide some useful classifications regarding the wide variety of cross-border experiences that have developed in Europe in recent decades. From the analytical perspective, the paper challenges enthusiastic claims that interpret Euroregions as effective political instruments for re-territorialization or new modes of cross-border multilevel governance.